I found a 600km perm which goes from Dunkirk to the three country point and back. Kind of similar to what we did on Tour de Luxembanter but… Shorter and over two days. Really want to do it. Will at least nick the route and do slower it at some point because it goes through Limburg which I bloody love.

see i’ve never done a 100km+ ride with less than, idk, 2000m+, which comes in like three or four 8+km climbs as a minimum*, so maybe it’s different in the rolling hills of england. But seriously - 250, 300, 400km in one day?
no fucking way man, not here anyway.

*however - this means you usually get the equivalent distance in a descent

5’10 with one puncture, a piss, and a bacon sandwich (all separate). It’s something I’m really glad I did but wouldn’t again. We were off in the second wave, 6am so roads were still quite quiet but after one stop everything backed up a bit. Other than a gentle ride up Boxy, I’d not ridden any of the route before. Out through Richmond Park was great, and tbh 85% of the route was fun. By the time the crowds came out around Leatherhead, Dorking and Wimbledon, it felt like a crit race and a team mate and I just smashed it round the last 20 miles absolutely spurred on. Great weekend too, but I can imagine if you start after 7 then it’s gonna be FUCKING RAMMED. Think we were in a good spot where the ones with something to prove got ahead and away but we werent caught up with any sportive choppers. Leith was a huge pinch point though, if you can get there without stopping first I’d recommend it. Good luck!

to give you an idea, my 200s have been ~700, ~1300, ~1000 and ~2300 metres of climbing. The last one was the furthest and the most up I’ve done in a ride I think (though I have done a 100km with 2000m of climbing). I am just totally shit at climbing though, like super bad. I don’t even really dislike it. I’m just terrible at it, I do things like unclip because I think I won’t be able to unclip if I need to stop mid-hill, change down to a really low gear too early… and probably other shit. And yeah, there are no long hills here, just short sharp ones which occasionally hover over the 18% mark or something. I don’t really know how to get better other than doing hill reps, and fuck that tbqh.

yeah, I did go to a block of turbo beat classes (basically spin class but with yr own bike) with the club, but I ended up kind of disliking it for some reason (i think it was the after work element?). everyone I’ve spoken to about improving says the best way to improve is on a turbo doing intervals, so yeah

I dunno the way I see it is that you’re enjoying riding your bike and doing loads of miles… so being shit at hills isn’t stopping you riding so why bother doing something you dislike when you could be out riding your bike

(unless you do want to get better at hills… in which case you’re gonna have to suck it up and maybe the winter is the best time to be indoors getting better at it…?)

I’m not that bothered about being a bit crap at hills… I can ride hills, just slowly. My main goal is really to be able to go further rather than faster, but going a bit faster (to keep up with plasticmike, and to not feel so overwhelmed / anxious when we go away to do cycling somewhere with hills) would be nice.

i think this is my problem. i’m fine on really short, sharp stuff where you can jump out of the saddle and contador your way up, but there aren’t any long enough hills to really properly develop any staying power uphill.

i always seem to completely fuck my gearing as well, and either end up coming to a halt or spinning wildly for ages.

i’m generally having a bit bit of a mad crisis of confidence atm, which is affecting lots of areas of my life but is ow having a worrying impact on my riding. i haven’t been out for about a fortnight because every time i kit up i’m hit by massive waves of anxiety and despair and the crippling feeling that i don’t know how to do it anymore.

it’s scaring me a bit because since getting back on the bike last year, cycling has been my main weapon against depression/anxiety stuff, and i could really do with having one area of my life that it doesn’t seem to permeate so easily.

probably just need to rule #5 it (i know, i know), tbqfh

(edit: sorry @rich-t, this wasn’t really all intended as a response to you!)

I think I won’t be able to unclip if I need to stop mid-hill, change down to a really low gear too early… and probably other shit.

think this stuff is easier on the big climbs, cos you have literally an hour or more in the same gear, at the same rhythm, and just get on with it - think sa calobra for example - were you wheeling all over the road there?? shorter british ramps but with crazy gradient variations must be trickier to judge I guess.

@howtobealone - everyone feels like that sometimes. You shouldn’t doubt yourself though, you’re not slow and you definitely know how to ride, and you have really good caps which you must be itching to wear